meine Freizeit

I'm sure you're all wondering "What do you do with all of your spare time, Colin?" Well, hopefully I can answer this pressing question (j/k all, of course).

1) Read - Thank you, massive, labyrinthine UoK library, for having an enormous English-language section! I found The Third Policeman at the U's library with ease (well, relative ease - it took me about an hour to find the physical book, but I found its listing in the catalog in mere seconds). I also checked out ("lieh aus") The Road by Cormac McCarthy, which looks interesting as well. I'm already about finished with Policeman.

2) Doodle - I brought crayons, pencils, markers and paints with to Germany. It's therapeutic, so my insurance should cover the airline's mulct for my luggage's weighing too much, right?

Still Life


Mater Dolorosa

*I forgot to mention, three paintings I submitted to St. Olaf's other magazine, The Quarry, were accepted for this year's edition (Sadko, Mona Lisa, and The Sudan).

3) Experiment with this foreign concept of "cooking" (in the sense that "cooking" is equivalent with "heating things that I also unwrap") - The waffles and whipped cream were a very wise purchase.

yum!

4) Hike - I think you might have already figured this one out from my last couple of posts ;)

near Mainau

5) And naturally schoolwork/homework/studying… NOT! But seriously, though, I do have a decent number of lecture hours a week.

So that's it, just a brief post.
And Anna, enjoy your grad party! Wish I could be there; they're loads of fun! Con-gradu-lations again :P

Ciao amici!

um den Bodensee wandern, oder letzer Tag mit dem Eurailpass

Yesterday was my last day with the Eurail Pass. Technically I could still use it today, but I'm too tired from my adventure yesterday! So I took the train from Constance to Radolfzell, another small town on Lake Constance (der Bodensee in German). The trip took about a half and hour, and marked the beginning of another massive hike.


I started off mucking thru the forest along the Bodensee and wound up on the outskirts of Radolfzell when I finally managed to get out. I decided to just continue in that direction, having no clue where I was going, but I had the entire day free until 8 pm, so…


There's Radolfzell in the distance.


Following Lake Constance brought me to the even smaller town of Moos, which is really quaint - a close second to Egg for prettiest tiny German town.

Next I wandered thru Iznang, another small town, and continued along the way towards Horn.


Somewhere before Horn I got this photo. This plant is a so-called "living fossil" (I learned way more about plants in my Organismic Biology class than I did about animals). It's called a horsetail (Equisetum sp.), and split off from other plants before the evolution of seeds. In the Carboniferous period the Constance region was home to horsetails that grew as tall as trees (nearly 100 feet tall!), though now only one genus of horsetails survives.


Then I walked along a nature reserve (Naturschutzgebiet) on my way back to Radolfzell, where I bought waffles and whip cream - brunch today! - and took the train back to Constance.

Before I close, I want to ask a question: Yesterday I read about a book called The Third Policeman, and I was wondering whether any of you readers had heard of (or better yet, read) it? Anyone?

Feiertag! Warum? Einfach so :D

Yesterday was a holiday. No one knows why, but it makes sense, because we hadn't had one yet this week ;) So I had the day off, and decided to go hiking. But what was going to be a few hour stroll quickly turned into a full-blown, day-long adventure!


I made a map of the area (above) to give you a better idea of the area. I started out wandering thru the natural lands between Sonnenbühl Ost and the university, and then ended up going to Egg, to Mainau, and then finally to Litzelstetten, a little town about two hours by foot north of my dorm.


My trek took me along beautiful Lake Constance…


thru fields,


and the Black Forest…


to little Litzelstetten.
Of course, once I got to Litzelstetten, nothing was open, because it was a holiday. While in town, however, I did hear this amazing quote from a little girl (about 2 years old): She was pointing out people to her mom and telling her whether they were men or women. She pointed to me and said "Da ist ein junger Mann" - one point for her! Then a group of four people walked by. Her mom asked her, "And what about them?" And her response: "Da kommen zwei Männer und zwei Mauer!" apparently conflating the words for men (Männer) and women (Fraue) to produce the word for wall (Mauer) - ie, "Here come two men and two wall!" I got a bang out of that, and the mom had a hand over her face, cracking up, too!



I sat on a bench here and ate my lunch.


In the background of this one, you can see Insel Mainau.

So that was my adventure - very quiet, very pretty. I felt like I needed something like that after Egypt.

zurück durch Zürich - في ألمانيا ثانيةً

Yesterday I left Egypt :( But on the bright side, the internet is working in Ost (knock on wood)!

After the massive train ride back from Luxor, we had the whole day free in Cairo, so we went to the big souk/market (Khan el-Khalili) in town. Unfortunately I didn't get any photos, but it was enormous. And Brady, Sara and I picked you up a hookah (and it survived the flight)!

After that we had a dinner cruise on the Nile.


A friend (Akhmed) of one of the young guys from the hostel (also Akhmed) accompanied us on the ship. I had a lot of fun, even tho parts of it were really weird.


Entertainment included not only an S&M belly-dancer (complete with cane and black lingerie), but also this whirling dwarf/small person/midget/insert correct PC-term here.

Dinner was buffet style, and it rocked. Over dinner we talked with Akhmed, but his English wasn't good, so for the first and only time the entire trip in Egypt MY ARABIC CAME IN HANDY! Now if that isn't incentive enough to learn what the US Dep't of Defense ranks as one of the most difficult languages in the world!

After dinner Akhmed was supposed to drive us back to the hostel, but we decided instead to say we were "taking photos of the Nile," and Akhmed cruised us around downtown Cairo while blasting a mixture of American and Egyptian music, including the original Aicha (or watch my favorite verison)! - this made my night!

The next day (yesterday) all we had time to do was wander a bit more around our part of Cairo. Then we said our good-byes (Alex and Vera get to stay in Egypt for a while longer), and Sara and I headed to the airport. Three hours and fifty minutes after boarding our plane, we were in Zurich, where the two of us separated, and the quartet was down to one.

Back in Constance I was immediately confronted by the stark contrasts: It had apparently just rained, and everything was shiny, cool and fresh, compared to Cairo's dry, hot and dusty It was absolutely silent on my walk home except for the random chirping frog or songbird, the exact opposite of the insane level of noise near our hostel (honking, yelling, muezzins' calling to prayer).


snail on the sidewalk in Constance - Another difference is the pace of life ;)

While Egypt was quite possibly my favorite trip ever, it is good to be "home" …for now!

last leg in Luxor - معبد الأقص ومعبد الكرنك

I'm gonna jump right into photos:


Our first stop today was the Temple of Karnak. It was another one of my favorite things in Egypt. It towers like a Gothic church. (Each of these pillars is thicker than a tree!)


the first peace treaty in the world, between Egypt (Ramses II) and the Hittite Empire (Hatusili III)
(hieroglyphics in the Temple of Karnak)


that forest of pillars again, with Vera, Alex, Sara and the best tour guide ever - Doaa!


goats outside of Karnak


Vera is skeptical as our evil driver hands us what is apparently a train ticket to Cairo for three people. It is indecipherable even for native Egyptians and is written with pen on torn blue paper. That's what I call "official."


Next up was the Temple of Luxor. It wasn't as cool as Karnak, but it was still pretty sweet.


Roman-era painting of (possibly) the Last Supper
Notice how the newer, Christian stuff has mainly worn away, while the thousands-of-years-older Egyptian stuff has remained. This supports my theory that people are so fascinated by the ancient Egyptians because they have come closer to permanence than anyone else.


Alexander the Great, depicted as a pharaoh and remembered by the Egyptians as a liberator, being given the key of life (Ankh) by the sun god Ra


We asked some man and his wife to take a photo of us. While we were positioning ourselves, the wife walks in front of us, ready to be photographed (by my camera?!). Then he snaps this award-worthy portrait. After that she walks right up to him so her face covers the entire shot.
(Notice I'm not even ready for the photo, because he gave us absolutely no warning.)

And we just got back into Cairo. The overnight train again took 12 hrs, partially because we were stopped next to some green, lit-up minaret for literally an hour and a half! Bleh. I hate the trains in Egypt.

Oh, and before I close, I want to address two comments/questions on my last post:
1) Shockingly, Luxor manages to defy natural law and maintain an extremely hot temperature right through midnight.
2) And as to the "Welcome to Alaska" thing: We actually got three more "Welcome to Alaska"s in Luxor, so we decided to start asking around. But no one knows for certain. A friend of Sara's says it's because of the ironic temperature difference between the two places. The wonderful Doaa suggested that they just don't know what they're saying. Our tour guide from the day before (Menan) said she thought Alaska was a well-known city, and that the Egyptians just assume most Americans come from there.

SO COOL! but SO HOT! - في الأقصر

First off, happy belated 50th, Mrs. Toft!

"So, just how hot is it in Luxor these days?" you ask. Well, today it was 110°F - painful. Tomorrow it's only supposed to be 97°, tho. Being basically in the middle of the desert if you step more than five feet away from the Nile, it's also pretty ungodly dry.

And now, PHOTOS! (way too many, just to warn you)


Breakfast at the Nubian Oasis Hotel is included in the approximately $3 I spend a night staying here! This is about the best breakfast I've had in weeks. The hotel, however, isn't air conditioned, which kind of sucks.

Today we saw some of the coolest things so far, which is saying a lot! First we went to the Valley of the Kings.


It's a good way into the mountainous desert (in order to prevent grave robbing, tho it didn't do a very good job), so we had to take these little carts to the different tombs.

We saw the tombs of Ramses I, III and IV, but couldn't take photos inside. They were amazing! This is the stuff you see in movies and on archeology TV shows (what? you don't watch archeology TV shows?!). It was covered in hieroglyphics and paintings of the gods.


Next we went to Hatshepsut's Mortuary Temple. It was really cool. And here you are allowed to take photos. (For those of you who were wondering, Hatshepsut is the pharaoh who married her half-brother, dressed up like a man, and sort of usurped the throne from her son.)


hieroglyphics in Hatshepsut's Temple


sphinxes around Hatshepsut's Temple

Next up we went to the Valley of the Queens. Here we also went into a few tombs, but they weren't as cool as the King's tombs. And again, no photos allowed.


doorway to one of the Queens' tombs


Next we drove to the Colossi of Memnon. They were huge. But I was so hot in the car, that I'd taken off my shoes (thinking we were done with the trip already). So when we had to jump out of the car, I had to skip across the burning tar to the comparatively cool sand in order to get a good view.


the Nile at Luxor


This was my lunch. It cost less than $2 and was delicious. (tomato soup with lemon and falafel - delicious!)


Luxor seems like it's a lot poorer than Cairo to me, but it might just be that we're living in a low-income area. For example, there is a flock of goats that lives near us and wanders the streets.

the unending train ride - أو ذهبنا إلى الأقصر

I'm typing this in Luxor! Plus (more good news) a friend of mine back in Constance just let me know that the internet is finally working in our dorms!


Last night we walked down to the Nile and decided to take a felucca ride.


This was our view for an hour and $2/person! It was awesome. (Oh, PS, a felucca is an Egyptian sailboat, in case you didn't know.) We also grabbed some shawarma and had a little picnic on the boat.

Then today we took the train to Luxor. I was told it would take about 6 hours, but it turned out to be closer to 12! We spent our entire day on the train, but at least we were in first class (it cost $2 more than second).


And it's Vera's birthday today, so we bought her this delicious, massive tray of goodies in Cairo.


The ride was very pretty, but God knows I would rather have done something else.


And our "lunch" was terrible. We grabbed pretzel sticks, which were soggy and had chunks of pepper in them. Left from the "pretzels" you can see our Chipseys, which tasted more like tomato juice than chips, and left of that our very decent pack of cheese.

Anyway, Luxor is way different than what I'd expected, but keep in mind I've seen just about nothing so far. It's also ungodly hot here. I just took a shower 20 minutes ago, and I still feel like I could use another right now. And our hostel is right next to one of the places where they blast the prayers on load-speakers - about every half an hour. But I'm very excited to be here, and tomorrow we're going to some very famous sites, so be sure to stop by again!

An imam, a rabbi and a priest walk into Old Cairo…

So yesterday after the pyramids I saw what was probably my favorite thing in Egypt so far: the 2005 horror film Boo (rated R), which was just released here April 30th of this year. Brilliant can't even begin to describe it. An example of the masterpiece is the following quote, powerfully delivered by the thespian Dig Wayne:

You shoot me in the face, I'll kick your ass!

Okay, so it wasn't actually any good. In fact, it was near par with such spectacles as Fear Dot Com and The Carrot Monster from Mars (alright, so I don't actually remember the name of that last one, but it was on the Sci Fi Channel at around midnight, so you get the gist).

But it was quite the experience to go to a movie in Egypt. Someone brought her baby to the movie, and it cried and screamed a lot of the time; several people answered their cell phones and held conversations during the movie; and there was even a 5-minute intermission (right in the middle of a high-tension scene)! Tickets were $3, so it was still worth it. In fact, parts of it were so funny/awful that I was crying.

Alright, so onward to the photos and the more serious stuff:


We had dinner last night at Gad, a restaurant just a few blocks away from our hostel. This was our dessert (Egyptian pancakes with honey, nuts and whipped cream). My entire meal cost under $3.


Then today we went first to the Saladin Citadel, where there is the above building: the Mosque of Muhammad Ali.


Vera and Alex had to wear green robes in the mosque because their arms weren't covered.


inside the Mosque


Two men get a panoramic view from the citadel looking out over Cairo.


the citadel walls

Then we went to Coptic Cairo, part of the Old City. Here we visited a Coptic Christian church and a synagogue. This area was really cool and extremely old!


The streets in Coptic Cairo were loaded with shops containing (presumably) antiques.

Alex and Vera then went to the Egyptian Museum, but Sara and I just mulled around the streets. I bought 1001 Nights and Sindbad at a book shop. We went to Felfela, an Egyptian fast-food place recommended to me by Chris Hanley (who studied here first semester), and grabbed lunch - a shawarma sandwich (like a gyro sub) and a taamiya (like a pita-pocket with a falafel inside). It was extremely good and also very cheap - around $2.


And again following Chris's recommendations, we went next door to a juice shop. I had a mixed fruit and ice cream drink, which was very nice after a day in the sun!

Then tomorrow we're off to Luxor!

Memphis, Saqqara, and Giza - الأهرام وأبو الهول

So today was about the best day ever! First, Alex and Vera joined up with us in Cairo (they both just got done with their semesters abroad in Namibia). Then we went to Memphis, Saqqara, and Giza - spectacular! And our guide was extremely knowledgeable and funny.


First we drove out to Memphis and saw this giant statue of Ramses II (the one who didn't get along with Moses, in case you forgot).


Then we went to a school where they learn how to make carpets.


And then we started with the amazing PYRAMIDS! This is the step pyramid at Saqqara, which was designed by Imhotep, whom you've probably heard of. This pyramid is also the first one ever built.


It was so ungodly hot, tho! Ahh! And there were these giant bursts of wind that chucked sand in your face every once in a while.


the Pyramids at Giza (and a tractor)
This photo cracks me up.


Then I went to take a photo of a camel (the first camel I've seen in Egypt), and this Egyptian guy started pushing me towards it, and he even wrapped his turban-deal around my head while I was trying to get on. In this photo I'm almost falling off and dying as the camel stands up.


Pyramids and the Sphinx
We went inside the pyramid on the right. It was extremely muggy, and we had to bend in half to squeeze down the tiny shaft to the burial chamber - BUT WE WERE INSIDE A PYRAMID!


and another photo of the pyramids
I took about 80 photos…

So today I saw the only remaining wonder of the world, and yesterday I saw the place where another wonder (the Lighthouse of Alexandria) used to be. I love my life.

Alex w/o Alex - ألكس بدون ألكس

So today we went to Alexandria, about a three-hour drive from Cairo, and right on the Mediterranean!


Alexandria


the Mediterranean


some fishers
It was here that we got applauded by a group of young boys, apparently for being from the same country as Batista, for whom they loudly proclaimed their love.


Sara and I waded into the Mediterranean - for a photo-op, not in order to escape the heat: Alexandria (or Alex, as it is called by the locals, I think) was only high 70s for the whole day. Right after this photo was taken, a little boy came up and shook my hand… and then asked for a dollar.


This is the Mosque of El-Mursi Abul Abbas. Sara had to go in a different building, because she's a girl, and they're not allowed in here (boys' club!). I also had to tip the guy I gave my shoes to. I'm pretty sure this is actually the first mosque I've ever been in.


And my favorite part was the LIBRARY (Bibliotheca Alexandrina)!!
It's amazing. The original was destroyed by the Romans in the last century BCE (we took a tour). The library we went into was built in 2003, was designed by the Norwegian architect Snøhette, and is amazing. Above is a statue of Ptolemy II (who built the original), and the facade of the modern building, which is engraved with words in over one hundred languages.


interesting sculpture inside the Bibliotheca


And this is the inside of the library proper.

And before I close: Happy Mother's Day to all of you mothers, grandmothers and great-grandmothers!

My adventure in Cairo - مغامرتي في القاهرة

Hello from Cairo! First, I wanna tell you all about Sara and my exciting adventure today. So you've all probably heard the phrase "walk like an Egyptian," but we've come to understand it in a completely different way: Mainly there are no traffic lights, but where there are, it doesn't matter whether they're red or green; the cars speed by no matter. But the natives just waltz right across like Frogger. Sara and I are quickly adapting.

So after dodging our way across several massive streets, we made it across the Nile. It apparently isn't the nicest area of Cairo. Sara even walked over a shriveled-up dead dog! And then as we were walking to dinner, some guy starting shouting at Sara, "Hello pretty lady!" When she didn't respond, he threw a stick at her! And then for lunch, we paid for our food at a take-out place, but left, forgetting our sandwiches in the restaurant!

But yeah, the day was definitely wonderful overall, and the adventures were exciting! The people here are really friendly. Everyone was telling us "Welcome to Cairo," the police came up and greeted us, and the hostel staff is very helpful.

And now, photos! !صوري


This is the view from my room.


The first thing Sara and I did today was go to the Egyptian Museum. It was awesome! We saw Tutankhamen's funerary mask among many other awesome things, including mummified crocodiles, statues of the pharaohs, and sphinxes!


Cairo cityscape


And then we went to the Nile. We were intending on taking a boat ride, but decided to save it for later (we had had more than enough haggling for the day).


Oh, and a lot of you were wondering about weather. It's actually not bad. It's mid-80s for the highs and with the breeze along the river, it's probably closer to high-70s. Nonetheless, it's dry, and we need constant refreshments.


a photo of me on the Nile


Why wouldn't there be goats on the street?

Tomorrow we're going to Alexandria for the day! Expect a post then!

Welcome to Alaska!

Yes, the title is odd. You'll have to wait until further on to find out what it means. (Suspense draws the reader in…)

So Sara and I took the train from Constance to Zurich today. Here's what the view from the train was like:


Switzerland: not a bad place

It was only a little over a three hour flight, and I sat next to this nice Dutch woman who thought I was German until told her the bad news. She was shocked that I, as an American, had somehow managed to learn another language.

And then we were in Egypt! As soon as the airplane started to descend, I started to have this problem: I was so excited that I couldn't keep from smiling like a moron - hah!


This is my amazing room in Cairo at the King Tut Hostel on Tahrir Square. And yes, that's a private bathroom. And I have a queen-sized bed. It costs €12/night and comes with breakfast.

After we got settled (around 3:00 pm), we just wandered around Cairo.


near our hostel


This is already one of the coolest, most different things I've ever done. We are such a minority: I, especially, stick out like a sore thumb as about the palest thing around. But I love it (remember, I've only been here for half a day).

Another funny thing is the number of cat-calls Sara has already gotten. About every block some one whistled at her, or (in the case of a six-year-old Egyptian boy) called out, "I love you. I love you!" People also have constantly been shouting at us (even from across the street) "Welcome to Egypt! Welcome to Cairo!" One young man, for whom I would assume English is a second or third language, even welcomed us to Alaska.


Cairo at dusk

And in closing, I would like to propose the following: Since my awesome hostel has free wireless, I was considering posting about every day or every two days, but only if people would be able to keep up. So it remains up to you: Would you read one post a day?

studieren?! manchmal.

Ok, so apparently you're all wondering about my classes. While I'd like to say I don't have any, I do - not that I'm here that often to attend them ;) - but seriously, here's my schedule (you'll have to click on it; I don't know how to make a table on blogger):



The only one that seems difficult so far is Russian, and that's mainly because I have to learn a foreign language in a foreign language. And here's what a tandem team is, by the way: I teach him my native language half of the time, he teaches me his the other half.

And finally, because I don't have any photos with which to amuse you, I figured I'd write you all a poem about Sonnenbühl Ost:

Ode to a Showerhead

Oh Soviet showerhead, how matchless you are!
For some reason in the States, they stopped making showers like you
Before they started.
But why? Do Americans truly despise the adventure you offer?
Now you scald me, now you give me hypothermia;
Now welts form where you pummel my skin,
Now I have to shake you, just for the water to drizzle out.
Have none so loved you as I?
Have none been so awed by your undomesticable might?
The way you refuse to be restrained by your measly “curtain?”
The way, in spite of your one moldy, tearing drape,
You build lakes and rivers throughout the bathroom?
The way your hose flails wildly, and I must dodge its burning touch?
But your crowning achievement, oh Soviet showerhead,
Is surely the way you will only point directly at the wall,
So that I must smash my body up against the cold tiles
In order to wash my hair.
Yours is a rare ability
To make common chores into marvelous feats.
Oh Soviet showerhead, how matchless you are!

Peace! And next time you hear from me, I'll be in EGYPT!

dans la région de mes ancêtres

Kind of spur of the moment, Kirsten and I decided to go to Strasbourg in France on Saturday. It was just a random decision, but how many times in your life do you have the opportunity to just up and go to France for the day? Not too many, so off we went!

It took us under three hours by train, and the ride cut through the gorgeous German country side and for a while through the Black Forest.


Strasbourg is in the Alsace région (state) of France, where my mom's mom's family comes from. It's actually a fascinating area (not to mention beautiful), because Alsace has been traded back and forth between the French and the Germans for centuries. So you can see the influence of both cultures all over the city (cf. the half-timbered houses in the above photo).


Many streets also have both French and German names. ("Little Rooster Alley")


We went to the cathedral. (rose window)


And climbed up the tower. Here you can see the market.


the cathedral


Strasbourg is very pretty.

For lunch we had delicious French food from a pâtisserie. Then we went to the Musée zoologique, which was very cool - and cheap (€1,50)! Plus the woman at the counter thought we were German when she heard me struggling with French, so she spoke to us auf Deutsch!


The museum consisted of tons of taxidermied animals. Most of them weren't dressed up like something from Narnia, but I couldn't resist this photo op. It was actually extremely interesting and well done over all. They even had two mounted coelocanths.


We also went to the European Parliament, where the EU's legislature meets.

Then I bought an oddly shaped French baguette to take back to Constance with me. (It has horns on the ends!)

And today I walked back to Insel Mainau with two friends. We could see the Alps as we crossed the bridge! I love studying abroad!

die Insel Mainau und mehr schönes Wetter!

Yesterday was a holiday in Germany (Labor Day, or Tag der Arbeit), so we had no class. Chrissy and I decided to grab the opportunity and go to Insel Mainau, an island about 45 minutes by foot from our dorm.

Our route to Mainau took us through Egg. We saw two little boys working what is apparently the German version of a lemonade stand. We each bought a cup of Apfelschorle, which is something like sparkling apple juice.


Later on we passed this stand. Its owner just left everything on the table, even tho the sign said no one was going to be back to man the “shop” until Sunday!

Well anyway, we obviously made it to Mainau, which is known for its floral gardens.


These are “Star Wars Magnolia hybrids,” according to their sign. They’re definitely pretty, but mainly the name just cracked me up.


one of several flower sculptures


Mainau also has a famous butterfly house (Schmetterlingshaus) with a little waterfall, turtles, and fish. It was ridiculously crowded in there. It was difficult to get photos of the butterflies as they zipped by, but there were hundreds of them.


There is also this big greenhouse of orchids with a really expensive restaurant in the middle.


Chrissy posing as best she can


This is what most of the island looks like.


And I’d feel negligent if I didn’t put up one of my millions of photos of the Alps. This one I took from the U. That gross, lighter-colored building is part of Sonnenbühl Ost.

So my life really isn’t too shabby. And a week from today I’m off to CAIRO!